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Seasonal Controls On Nearshore Hypoxia In A Small Coastal Embayment, Stephen Alexander Huie

Physics

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an important biogeochemical factor that strongly influences nearshore coastal ecosystems. Low DO (hypoxic) events can cause physiological stressful environments for ecological and economically important species, potentially leading to mass mortalities. In order to better assess drivers of coastal hypoxia, we collected data from monthly cruises on the inner shelf and nearshore moorings inside and outside a small coastal embayment (San Luis Obispo Bay on the Central California Coast) across the full upwelling season (March to August). During the late spring and early summer, we found that the nearshore near-bottom temperature-DO (T-DO) relationship aligned with the shelf …